This invention relates to an air-cooled cooling apparatus and, more particularly, to an air-cooled cooling apparatus for cooling a cooling liquid flowing through a cooling pipe of a refrigeration machine much air conditioners and refrigerators.
FIG. 1 illustrates one example of a conventional air-cooled cooling apparatus for cooling a cooling liquid within a cooling pipe of a refrigeration machine, such as air conditioners and refrigerators. It is seen from FIG. 1 that the cooling apparatus comprises a coolant compressor 1 for compressing a coolant into a high temperature, high pressure coolant. The coolant compressor 1 is connected to an air-cooled condenser 2 where the coolant is condensed into a low temperature, high pressure liquid coolant. A fan 3 is usually provided in order to induce an air flow passing through the condenser 2 for rapid cooling of the coolant. The coolant condenser 2 is connected to an expansion valve 4 in which the low temperature, high pressure liquid coolant is expanded into a low temperature, low pressure coolant. The expansion valve 4 is connected to a coil cooler 5, where the low temperature, low pressure coolant supplied from the expansion valve 4 is evaporated to cool the coil cooler 5 by its evaporation latent heat. The Cooler 5 is connected to the coolant compressor 1 through an accumulator 6. Thus, the coolant circulates in a closed loop to repeat the steps of compression, condensation and evaporation to cool the cooler 5.
The cooler 5 is arranged in a heat exchanging relationship with a cooling pipe 10 of a refrigeration machine R such as an air conditioner or a refrigerator so that the cooling liquid of the refrigeration machine a flowing through the cooling pipe 10 is cooled by the cold coolant in the cooler 5. The illustrated cooling pipe 10 includes an inlet pipe 7, an outlet pipe 8 and heat exchange tubes 9 extending along the coil cooler 5 between the pipes 7 and 8. The cooling liquid thus cooled by the cooler 5 is supplied to the refrigeration machine to condition air or to chill the freezer chamber.
In an air-cooled cooling apparatus for a refrigerating machine R such as the air-conditioner and the refrigerator in which the cooling operation must continuously be achieved throughout year, the coolant compressor must be continuously operated irrespective of seasons, causing loss of a large amount of energy and making the annual running cost extravagant.